Most of it missed, but enough dripped down onto his clothes to infuriate him even more. He slashed down with his sword and I caught the blow on the mug, diverting it. Letting the mug slide up along the blade into his fingers, grabbing and twisting his sword arm at the same time.
He howled nicely and the sword clattered to the floor, After this he was turned sideways, nicely exposed for a finishing kick to the back.
Except someone tripped me from behind at that moment and I went sprawling. "”
Chapter 21
They thought this very amusing because their laughter was all I could hear. When"l scrambled for the fallen blade one of them kicked it aside. Things were not looking too good. I couldn’t fight them all. I had to get out.
It was too late. Two of them knocked me to the ground from behind and another one kicked me in the side. Before I could get up my sword-wielding opponent was on top of me, kneeling on my chest and drawing an exceedingly ugly dagger with a wavery edge.
“What is this creature, Capo Doccia,” he called out, holding my chin with his free hand, the dagger close to my throat.
“An ofiworlder,” Capo Doccia said. “They threw him off the spacer.” “Is it valuable, worth anything?” “I don’t know,” Capo Doccia said, looking down at me bemusedly. “Perhaps. But I don’t like its fancy oflplanet tricks. They don’t belong here. Oh, kill it and be done.” I had not moved during this interesting exchange because I had some obvious interest in its outcome. I moved now.
The knife-wielder screamed as I twisted his armbreaking it I hope-and grabbed the dagger as his fingers flew open. I held on to him as I jumped to my feet, then pushed him into the midst of his companions. They were behind me as well, but they fell back as I swept the dagger about in a circle. Moving after it, running before they could get their own weapons out. Running for my life.
The only direction I knew, back down the stairs. Bumping into Tars Tukas and rendering him unconscious as I passed.
Roars and shouts of anger sounded behind me and I wasted no time even glancing their way. Down the stairs, three at a time, towards the guards at the entrance. They were still scrambling to their feet when I plowed into them and we all went down. I kneed one under the chin as we fell, grabbing his gun by the barrel as I did this. The other was struggling to point his weapon at me when I caught him in the side of the head with the one I was holding.
The running feet were right behind me as I charged through the door, right at the surprised guard. He drew his sword but before he could use it he was unconscious. I dropped the dagger and seSed his more lethal sword and ran on. The gate we had entered by was ahead. Wide open.
And well-guarded by armed men who were already raising their guns. I angled off towards the slave building as they fired. I don’t know where their shots went but I was still alive as I turned the corner.
pne knife, one gun, one very tired Jim diGriz. Who did not dare stop or even slow down. The outer wall was ahead-with scaffolding and a ladder leaning against it where masons were making repairs. I screeched and waved my weapons and the workmen dived in all directions. I went up the ladders as fast as I could. Noticing that bullets were striking the wall on all sides of me, chips of stone flying.
Then I was on top of the wall, fighting for breath, chancing a look behind me for the first time.
Dropping to my lace as the massed gunmen below fired a volley that parted the air just above my head. Capo Doccia and his court had left the pursuit to the guards and were standing behind them cursing and waving their weapons. Very impressive. I pulled my head back as they fired again.
Other guards were climbing up to the wall and moving towards me. Which really did limit my choices a bit. I looked over the outside of the wall at the brown surface of the water that lay at its base. Some choice!
“Jim, you must learn to do something about your big mouth,” I said.. then took a deep breath and jumped.
Splashed-and stuck. The water was just up to my neck and I was stuck in the soft mud that had broken my fall. I ~ S struggled against it, pulling out one foot, then the other, struggling against its gluey embrace as I waded to the far bank. My pursuers weren’t in sight yet-but they would surely be right behind me. All I could do was keep moving. Crawling up the grassy bank, still clutching my purloined weapons, then staggeriiig into the shelter of the trees ahead. And still no sign of the armed guards. They should be across the bridge and after me by this time. I couldn’t believe my good luck.
Until I fell headlong, screaming as the pain washed over me. Pain unbelievable, blotting out sight, sound, senses.
Then it stopped and I brushed the tears of agony from my eyes. The paincuff-1 had forgotten all about it. Tars Tukas had regained consciousness and was thumbing the control button. What had he said? Leave it on long enough and it blocks all the nerves, kills. I grabbed at my shoe and the lockpick concealed there as the pain struck again.
When it stopped . this time I was almost too weak to move my fingers. As I fumbled with the pick I realized that they were sadists and I should be grateful for the fact. With the button held down I was good as dead. But someone, undoubtedly Capo Doccia, wanted me both to suffer and know that there was no way out. The key was in the lock when pain consumed me one more time.
When it stopped I was lying on my side, the lockpick fallen from my fingers, unable to move.
But I had to move. Another wave of agony like that and it would be all over for me. I would lie in these Woods until I died. My fingers trembled, moved. The pick crept towards the tiny opening of the lock, moved in, twisted feebly....
It took a very long time for the red mists to clear from my vision, the agony to seep out of my body. I could not move, felt I would never stir again. I had to blink the tears away when I could see. See the most beautiful sight in the world.
The open paincuff lying on the moldy leaves.
Only my captor’s knowledge that the pain machine led to certain death had saved my life. The searchers were in DO hurry; I could hear them talking as they moved through the woods towards me.
“.. . somewhere . in here. Why don’t they Just leave him?” “Leave a good blade and a shooter? No chance of that. And Capo Doccia wants to hang the body up in the courtyard until it rots. Never saw him that angry.” Life slowly returned to my paralyzed body. I moved off the animal track I had been following and pulled myself into the shelter of the low shrubbery, reaching out to straighten out the grass. And not too soon.
“Look-he came out of tfte water here. Went along this path.” Heavy footsteps approached and went by. I clutched my weapons and did the only thing possible. Lay quiet and waited for my strength to return.
This was, I must admit, a bit of a low point in my life. Friendless, alone, still throbbing with pain, exhausted, hunted by armed men just dying to kill me, thirsty... It was quite a list. About the only thing that hadn’t happened so far was to get rained on. It started to rain.
There are high and low points in emotion when there is no room for excess. To love one so much it would be impossible to love any more. I think. Never having had any personal experience in that. But I had plenty of experience in being in the pits. Where I was now. I could sink no lower or get no more depressed. It was the rain that did it. I began to chuckle-then grabbed my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh out loud. Then the laughter died away as my anger grew. This was no way to treat a mean and nasty stainless steel rat! Now in danger of getting rusty.
I moved my legs and had to stifle a groan. The pain was still there but the anger rode it down. I clutched the gun and stuck the sword into the ground, then pulled myself to my feet by grabbing the branches of the tree with my free hand. Grabbed up the sword again and stood there, swaying. But not falling. Until I was finally able to stagger off, one step at a time, away from the searchersand Capo Doccia’s criminal establishment. The forest was quite extensive and I moved along game paths for an unmeasurable length of time. I had left the searehers far behind, I was sure of that. So when the forest thinned and ended I leaned against a tree to catch my breath and looked out at the tilled field. It was time to find my way back to the haunts of man. Where there were plows there were ploughboys. They shouldn’t be too hard to find. When a certain measure of strength had returned I staggered off along the edge of the field, ready to fall into the forest at the sight of armed men. I was very pleased to see the farmhouse first. It was low to the ground, thatched, and windowless-at least on this side. It had a chimney from which there rose a thin trickle of smoke. No need for heating in this balmy climate-so this must be a cooking fire. Food.